


Piano!AU

by mithrel



Category: Supernatural RPS
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blanket Permission, First Kiss, Kid Fic, M/M, Music, Piano, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-19
Updated: 2010-12-07
Packaged: 2017-10-30 08:03:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/329599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/pseuds/mithrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for <a href="http://cloudyjenn.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://cloudyjenn.livejournal.com/"><b>cloudyjenn</b></a>, for the prompt: “Jensen/Misha: Misha is his son’s piano teacher.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Adagio

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cloudyjenn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudyjenn/gifts).



Brian’s taking piano lessons. It hadn’t been Jensen’s idea–he wanted him to play soccer or basketball or something. But no, the kid wanted to play piano, and as a single father Jensen had learned to pick his battles.

So he finds a local music store that gives lessons and signs him up.

At first Jensen just dropped him off at the store after work; music’s never really been his thing. When he picked Brian up the first time he was glowing, full of talk about the store and the lessons. Jensen smiled. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea.

But two weeks later Brian bounds up to the car and bounces into his seat, almost too excited to speak. “Dad, dad! Mr. Collins wants to talk to you?”

“Who?” Jensen asks.

Brian rolls his eyes. “My _teacher,_ dad!”

“Are you in trouble? You didn’t break his piano, did you?”

Brian sighs dramatically. “ _No,_ dad! But he wants to talk to you about my playing!”

So next Tuesday Jensen goes with Brian into the store.

The first floor is a maze of musical instruments–hanging on the walls, piled on the floor. Brian leads him past the counter to a staircase.

At the top of the staircase there’s a hallway with doors leading off it. Faint sounds–some of them can’t qualify as “music”–come from beyond them.

“Brian!”

Jensen turns at the voice and gapes. He’d expected Brian’s teacher to be an old professor-type, maybe wearing a tweed suit. This guy is…anything but.

“Mr. Collins!” Brian bounds over to him, smile splitting his face, and the guy grins in return. Jensen stops in his tracks and tries not to stare.

“This is my dad!” Brian says, and Jensen shakes himself, walks over to be introduced.

“Ah, so you’re the prodigy’s father,” Mr. Collins says, turning the smile on him, and it takes a second for what he’d said to register.

“Prodigy?”

“Yes. Your son has a gift. Most students are still doing finger exercises at this point, but Brian’s moved on to simple pieces.”

Jensen’s eyes flick down to the guy’s hands before he can think about it, his mind caught on “fingering exercises.” “Really?”

Mr. Collins nods. “Yes. But he needs to be able to practice more. Do you have a piano at home?”

“Uh…no. No, we don’t.”

“I’d seriously consider renting one. I won’t ask you to buy one, since they’re not cheap, but without a piano at home Brian won’t be able to fully develop his gifts. I can give you the number of a rental company.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jensen manages.

Mr. Collins scribbles down the number, and hands it to him. “Nice meeting you.”

“You too.”

It’s only after Brian has gone into a nearby room that Jensen realizes they haven’t met, not really. He knows the guy’s last name from talking to Brian, and the guy knows his last name because it’s the same as Brian’s, but…they never actually introduced themselves.

And he’s already totally smitten.  



	2. Andante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misha starts giving Brian private lessons.

Jensen calls the rental company Mr. Collins gave him and gets the delivery set for Saturday. He’s just happy they _do_ deliver, since he’s got no way to lug a piano around.

Brian’s excited, running around and getting in the movers’ way until Jensen forces him to sit down. He sits leaning forward, hands folded in his lap, one knee jigging up and down.

As soon as the piano is in place, Brian runs into his room and gets his music book. He sits down at the piano and starts playing. Jensen doesn’t know much about music, but he can tell Brian is good.

***

Jensen keeps dropping Brian off at his music lessons, trying to figure out an excuse to go up with him and see Mr. Collins again, but he never can think of anything plausible. He could ask about Brian’s progress, but Brian tells him what he does every day, so that wouldn’t work.

A few weeks after they got the piano, Brian bounces into the car again. “Dad, dad! Mr. Collins says I’ve really improved! He wants to give me extra lessons on the weekends!”

Jensen’s heart lurches at the thought of Mr. Collins in his house, but… “How much is it gonna cost?” He’s already paying for lessons twice a week, and even renting the piano put a healthy dent in his monthly paycheck.

“He says he’ll do it for half price!”

“On Saturdays?”

Brian nods, his face filled with anxious hope.

Jensen figures he can afford another fifteen dollars a week. “OK.”

Brian springs across the seat and nearly strangles him in a hug.

***

Saturday afternoon Brian can’t sit still. Neither can Jensen. He’s unreasonably nervous. He got up early to vacuum, and he even dusted, which he _never_ bothers with. Brian gave him an odd look, but didn’t say anything.

When Mr. Collins shows up that afternoon, Jensen lets him in and takes him to the living room, where the piano’s set up. “You can practice in here,” he says inanely, like they’re going to practice in the bathroom instead.

Mr. Collins nods. “Thanks.”

He sits down with Brian and they start to practice. Jensen goes in the kitchen to start dinner, but he wanders out now and again, ostensibly to see how Brian’s doing, but he’s really watching Mr. Collins. His hands glide over the keys, and he patiently repositions Brian’s fingers when he sets them wrong.

When they’re done with the lesson Jensen steels himself and asks, “Hey, do you want anything to drink? Coffee? Beer? Iced tea?”

“Iced tea sounds nice.”

So Jensen gets out the pitcher of iced tea he made the day before and pours out two glasses. He hands one to Mr. Collins and they sit down at the dining room table.

“You know, I was thinking after the last time we talked that we were never formally introduced.”

Mr. Collins smiles, and _God,_ his nose crinkles. “You’re right.” He gets up and holds out a hand. “Hi, I’m Brian’s piano teacher, Misha Collins.”

Jensen can’t help but smile. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Brian’s father, Jensen Ackles.”

Misha smiles at him. “So now that we’ve been properly introduced…”

Jensen nods. “Yeah.”

Jensen watches Misha sip his tea. He’s never heard the name before, but it fits him, somehow.

After a moment, Misha says, “I hope I’m not being too forward, but where is Brian’s mother? I thought I just hadn’t met her, but…”

Jensen feels a pang of old sadness go through him. “She died. When Brian was four.”

“Oh,” Misha says softly, his blue eyes sympathetic. “I’m sorry.”

Jensen shrugs. “It was a long time ago. And Bri and me, we do OK.”

“You certainly do.”

“What about you?” Jensen blurts out before he thinks. “Are you married?”

“Why?” Misha smirks at him. “You interested.”

“I–what, no!”

“Relax,” Misha says, “I’m just teasing you. Besides, I don’t date my students’ parents. It’s unprofessional.”

“Oh,” Jensen says, trying to hide his disappointment.

“But, no I’m not married. Not dating anyone either.”

Before Jensen can figure out how to respond to that Misha says, “Thank you for the tea, Jensen,” and gets up to leave.  



	3. Moderato

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen starts talking to Misha more and almost slips up.

The next time Misha gives Brian lessons Jensen offers him a drink afterwards again. It’s pointless–Misha’s all but said he’s not interested–but Jensen must be some sort of masochist.

“So what got you into music?” Jensen asks, partly to make innocent conversation and partly because he’s curious.

Misha shrugs. “I was a band geek in high school. Played the bassoon. It was OK, but I could live without it. I started taking private piano lessons in college and fell in love with it. After that it seemed only natural to major in Music, and since there’s not much you can do with a music degree on its own after my first semester I switched to a double major of Music and Education.”

“Cool.”

Misha’s expression turns almost shy. “I actually compose a bit.”

“You do? Awesome!”

“Would…you like to hear something I wrote?”

Jensen nods fervently, surprised that Misha’s even offering. He doesn’t know the guy that well, after all.

Misha nods and goes into the living room. Jensen follows him and sits down on the couch.

Misha sits down at the piano, takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

The music reminds Jensen of nothing so much as a rainstorm–it starts out with just a few high notes, which quickly turn into complex harmonies, with a deep rumbling underneath like distant thunder.

Jensen isn’t paying much attention to the music, though. He’s focused on Misha. His face is transported, looking utterly serene and content, and his hands glide gracefully over the keys as though the instrument is just an extension of himself.

When the music ends Misha sits quietly for a moment, before opening his eyes and looking at Jensen.

Jensen realizes his mouth is open, and hastily closes it.

“Well?” Misha asks after Jensen doesn’t say anything for awhile, his voice shy again.

Jensen shakes himself. “Dude,” he says. “Dude, that was…” But he can’t think of words for it.

Misha gives him another of those blinding grins. “That’s actually the first piece I wrote. My later stuff is better.”

Jensen shakes his head. “No way. I don’t believe that.”

After some coaxing, he convinces Misha to play a few more of his pieces, “for the sake of comparison.” They’re all good, but Jensen still likes the first one best.

“What are you doing giving piano lessons?” Jensen asks after he’s done. “You could be performing!”

“Passing my gifts on,” Misha says softly, and Jensen stops, because he hadn’t really expected an answer to that question. “Your son is one of the most gifted students I’ve had.”

Jensen mumbles something inarticulate.

After Misha leaves, Jensen sits down at the piano, trying to figure out what it is about it that makes Brian so excited, that makes Misha look like he’s reached some kind of nirvana. But all he can produce is single notes and discords, and after a moment he gives up.

***

He decides to ask Misha about it the next weekend. “I don’t get it,” he says, after Brian’s gone to his room to read.

“Don’t get what?” Misha asks curiously.

“I don’t get what it is about music that you two think is so…” he trails off.

Misha smiles softly. “‘Without music, life would be an error.’”

Jensen blinks. “Uh…what?”

“Nietzsche,” Misha replies.

“ _Nietzsche?!_ ” But it just figures that Misha would read Nietzsche. He seems the type.

“Seriously, though, music…it gives me something I can’t get anywhere else.”

Jensen nods wistfully.

“Here,” Misha says suddenly, springing up and grabbing his hand.

“Wh–” Jensen says, but lets Misha drag him back into the living room.

Misha sits down on one side of the piano bench and pats the other side.

Jensen swallows, but sits down next to him, feeling Misha pressed warm against him.

“Middle C,” Misha says, tapping a key in the middle of the keyboard. “Put your fingers here.”

Jensen lets him position his fingers awkwardly on the keys.

“Try a scale,” Misha urges him, and Jensen fumbles through _do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do_ and then back down.

“Again.”

He runs through the scale again, and again, until he can do it perfectly. After that Misha teaches him to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Hot Cross Buns.” He fumbles them at first too, but gets it after a couple tries.

He turns with a smile to Misha, feeling ridiculously pleased with himself, and freezes, the smile sliding off his face. This close, Misha’s eyes are incredibly blue. Jensen didn’t think anyone human had eyes that blue. He finds himself leaning forward before he thinks. Misha’s lips part and he licks his lips.

Jensen jerks back. What the fuck is _wrong_ with him?! He can’t kiss Brian’s _teacher!_

Misha’s eyes go shadowed, and he gets up from the bench. “I…I should go.”

“Yeah,” Jensen croaks out. “Good idea.” He doesn’t see him out.

Once he’s alone, Jensen goes into his bedroom, flings himself on his bed, and bangs his head against the pillow, over and over.  



	4. Allegro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen goes to Jared for help.

For the next week Jensen drops Brian off at practice, dreading next Saturday. The dread is made even worse by the fact that Misha is invading his dreams. He replays the scene from last weekend, but with a completely different ending; not to mention others not so PG-rated. How is he ever going to act normally around him?

In the end he does the chickenshit thing and calls Jared. “Can I come over to your house Saturday afternoon?”

“Sure,” Jared says, “Gen’s got some girl thing going on, so I’m free.”

“Great,” Jensen sighs into the phone.

“Is something up?” Jared asks. He can’t hide anything from Jared; he’s known him too long. He was going to tell him anyway, but not over the phone.

“Jensen?” Jared says when he doesn’t answer, sounding suddenly worried. “What happened? Is it Brian?”

“No. No, Brian’s fine. I just need to get out of the house.” Ain’t that the truth.

“Oookay,” Jared says slowly. “See you Saturday.”

“See you.”

Jensen hangs up the phone, and goes to make dinner.

***

As they’re finishing up, he says, “Hey Bri, I’ve got something to do this Saturday. Will you be OK on your own?” Some people might throw a fit that he was leaving his ten-year old alone with a virtual stranger, but Jensen’s good at reading people, and Misha’s harmless. Weird, but harmless. _Not to mention gorgeous._ He cuts off that line of thought before it can go any further.

“Really? You’re letting me stay in the house alone?” Brian says with a combination of astonishment and sarcasm.

“I let you stay alone plenty of times!” Jensen says.

“Name one!”

“Besides, it’s just for the afternoon,” Jensen says, ignoring the question.

“What do you have to do?” Brian asks.

“Grown up stuff. It’s boring.”

Brian grimaces but doesn’t ask any more questions, for which Jensen’s grateful.

***

That Saturday he heads off to Jared’s. As soon as he steps in the door, Jared says, “OK dude, spill.”

Jensen opens his mouth, but stops, not sure how to begin.

“Oh man. I know that look. Guy trouble?”

Jensen nods.

“So which is it this time? An idiot who doesn’t deserve you or an asshole who broke your heart?”

“Neither!” Jensen protests.

“You sure? Because if anyone needs teaching a lesson…”

Jensen laughs. There’s no way Jared would beat up anyone, although he’s offered several times. Privately Jensen thinks all he’d have to do to get an unruly date to behave is have Jared loom at them. “It’s Brian’s teacher.”

“His what?”

“His piano teacher. He’s gorgeous and smart and funny and talented, but he’s not interested in me and…”

“Whoa, whoa,” Jared says, holding up his hands. “Start at the beginning.”

So Jensen tells him. Everything from their first meeting to the disastrous almost-kiss. “And I’m obsessed with him, and he’s Brian’s teacher and anyway, he’s not interested–”

“How do you know?” Jared cuts across him.

“What?”

“How do you know he’s not interested?”

“He said he doesn’t date students’ parents,” Jensen reminds him.

“Which is why he won’t date you. Not why he doesn’t want to. Does he seem like the type of person to make an excuse to get someone to leave him alone?”

“Well…no. But I don’t even know if he’s…” Jensen makes an ambiguous gesture.

“What? Gay? Interested in you? I think he is. Playing your music for somebody is an incredibly personal thing. He wouldn’t do that for just anyone. And he’s not being paid to give _you_ lessons, but he started anyway.”

Jensen groans at the memory of the lesson. That’s why he’s in this mess.

“Have you tried talking to him?” Jared asks.

Jensen gapes. “ _Talking_ to him?!”

“Yeah. What are you gonna do, hide out somewhere every Saturday? Because I gotta tell you dude, I’m not letting you hide out here.”

“Some friend you are,” Jensen grumbles, then shoots a look at his phone. “He should be gone now anyway.”

“Talk to him,” Jared repeats. Jensen ignores him.

***

When he gets back Brian’s watching TV. “Mr. Collins wanted to know if you were mad at him,” he tells Jensen, “But I told him you just had important stuff to do.”

Jensen nods, wincing inwardly. The last thing he wants is for Misha to think he’s mad at him. But it’s a natural conclusion to make.

That night his dreams are a jumble of _Would you like to hear something I wrote?_ and _I should go_ and _Why are you mad at me?_ and _Don’t you like me?_

 _I do like you!_ Jensen tries to tell the wounded blue eyes, _Too much,_ but Misha doesn’t hear him.

He wakes up on Sunday determined to take Jared’s advice and talk to Misha.

***

He doesn’t go in with Brian on Tuesday. This isn’t the kind of thing you talk about in a few minutes, or in public.

By next Saturday Jensen’s almost reconsidered. As three o’clock approaches he debates going out somewhere. Anywhere, so long as he doesn’t have to face Misha.

But he doesn’t. When the doorbell rings he answers it and lets Misha in. Neither of them say anything.

Jensen goes into the kitchen to make dinner, but he’s so preoccupied he lets the water for the spaghetti boil over. Cursing, he turns down the heat and darts a glance at the door, even though the dining room’s between the kitchen and living room.

Once dinner’s ready he goes into the living room. Misha’s just getting up from the piano. “Good job today, Brian. I can see you’ve been practicing.”

Brian glows at the compliment.

Jensen coughs. “Dinner’s ready, Brian,” he says and Brian nods and goes to wash his hands. Jensen turns nervously to Misha. “You can have dinner with us if you want.”

Misha’s brows shoot up, but after a moment he nods. “I’d love to.”

There’s not much conversation at dinner. Brian tells Misha about school, Misha praises Jensen’s spaghetti and he flushes. “It’s my wife’s recipe. I’ve had time to perfect making it.”

“Dad’s dinners tasted like burned for a year,” Brian says.

“Brian!” Jensen snaps, as Misha chokes on a laugh.

Brian sticks out his tongue at him. “Well, they _did!_ ”

“That’s OK,” Misha says. “I’m a good cook now, but my first time I burned the meat loaf all the way through. Even with gallons of ketchup it was awful.”

Jensen grins at him and Misha winks. Jensen swallows, remembering why he’d invited Misha to dinner in the first place.

After dinner, Misha gets up to leave. “Thank you for the meal. Keep practicing, Brian.”

“I will!”

“Hold on a sec,” Jensen says. “I want to talk to you.”

Misha blinks at him, but sits back down. Brian does too.

“Don’t you have some homework to do?” Jensen asks.

“It’s Saturday, Dad.”

Jensen gives him a Look.

“Oh yeah, homework, right. See you Tuesday Mr. Collins!”

Misha chuckles as Brian trudges toward his room. Jensen clears the table, then sits back down across from Misha, folding his hands on the table.

“You’re making me nervous,” Misha says, and Jensen can see by the tension in his jaw that it’s only half a joke.

“Do you like teaching Brian?” Jensen asks him.

“You know I do! Haven’t I said so often enough?”

Fair point. “So you wouldn’t consider not teaching him anymore?”

“Are you firing me?”

Jensen gapes at him. “What the hell gave you that idea?”

“Well a couple weeks ago we…and then you weren’t here last week and now you ask me if I still want to teach Brian. It’s a fairly logical conclusion.”

Jensen nods. “I’m not firing you. Brian would kill me. But I kind of wish I could,” he finishes softly.

He doesn’t miss the hurt in Misha’s eyes, and hastily says, “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“How did you mean it?” Misha shoots back.

“You remember…when we first met…you said you don’t date your students’ parents.”

“I don’t.”

Jensen swallows again. “But if…if you weren’t Brian’s teacher. If we’d just met somewhere, like a baseball game or in the checkout line at the store…would you?”

“Date you? In a heartbeat.”

Jensen stares at the immediacy of the response.

“I don’t date my student’s parents,” Misha says. “But since they’re usually married women it’s not a problem.”

“Oh. Well.”

“I might consider bending the rule. Just this once.”

“But…but what about Brian?”

“Why not ask him? Unless he doesn’t know you’re interested in men.”

“No, he knows. I’ll get him.”

He heads into Brian’s room and finds him sprawled out on the bed reading a book. “Hey, Bri? Can you come out here for a sec?”

Brian gives him an aggrieved look. “I thought you wanted me to do homework.”

“I did. Now I don’t.”

Brian heaves a sigh, but gets up from his bed and follows him to the kitchen.

“Brian…do you like Mr. Collins?”

“Of course I do!” Brian says, looking at him like he’s an idiot. Misha’s silent, letting Jensen handle it.

“So if he started spending more time here, you wouldn’t mind?”

Brian rolls his eyes. “Dad, if you like him, just _tell_ him!”

“Well, Jensen?” Misha asks, straight-faced, but his eyes are dancing. “Do you like me?”

“I like you,” Jensen says. He turns to Brian. “You might wanna leave now. There’s about to be mushy stuff.”

“Ugh!” Brian says and runs out of the room.

Misha laughs softly, then says, “Mushy stuff.”

“You bet your sweet ass,” Jensen growls, and hauls him up and kisses him.

It’s everything he imagined kissing Misha would be. He melts against Jensen and puts his whole soul into the kiss.

Jensen pulls away. “A couple weeks ago…why did you shut down like that?”

“You pulled back. I thought you’d changed your mind.”

“I did. But only because I didn’t want you to compromise your principles.”

Misha raises an eyebrow. “Have you thought about compromising me?”

Jensen laughs. “You have no idea.”

“Good. I’m not the only one, then,” Misha says and kisses him again.


End file.
